The Australian Government today announced an independent review of the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme and its Water Efficiency and Labelling Standards (WELS) Act (2005) and other associated legislation. Due to report in June 2015, the review will pay particular attention to identifying opportunities to simplify red tape and regulatory requirements placed on…
The fifth and final round of the On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program has now opened with $125 million of funding available to irrigators in southern New South Wales. The Australian Government will work together with the NSW State Government, delivery partner organisations and irrigators to deliver a programme to implement on-farm irrigation efficiency projects. “The funding…
Minister for Natural Resources, Lands and Water Kevin Humphries will today unveil a $73 million recycled water plant at Mayfield that represents a further step to drought-proofing the Hunter region by producing 3.3 billion litres of clean water a year. The state of the art recycled water plant will supply water to Orica’s Kooragang Island…
Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan. “There has been strong progress on the plan in its first two years of implementation,” said Senator Simon Birmingham, Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment. “These two years have seen an impressive level of commitment and coordination between the Commonwealth and the basin state governments to…
The Bureau of Meteorology has today completed the national rollout of its graphical forecast viewer ‘MetEye’, delivering all Australians with access to localised seven day forecasts, satellite or radar imagery and near real-time weather data such as temperature, rainfall, cloud cover, humidity and wind speed. “With the addition of forecast information for the Northern Territory…
Australia’s world-leading $22 million Bush Blitz species discovery programme will invest $1.2 million to better link discoveries with conservation outcomes. Parliamentary Secretary Simon Birmingham will announce the funding tonight at the IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney. “By investing in the next phase of knowledge through Bush Blitz we are not only discovering new species…
A new five year monitoring plan for the Murray-Darling Basin announced today by the Commonwealth Government will provide unprecedented knowledge into the effectiveness of environmental watering. “Localised teams of experts from Australia’s leading regional universities and research institutions will undertake projects in key areas of Commonwealth environmental water delivery,” said Senator Simon Birmingham, Parliamentary Secretary…
The Bureau of Meteorology has completed the construction of a replacement weather watch radar in Darwin today, with real-time imagery now available on the Bureau’s website. “The upgrade will improve the reliability of the radar, benefitting those living and working in the Northern Territory. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment Simon Birmingham. “The…
The Australian Government is ramping up action to bring threatened species back from the brink of extinction in Australia’s largest national park, Kakadu. As thousands gather in Sydney ahead of World Parks Congress, Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Senator Simon Birmingham released Kakadu’s Threatened Species Strategy today, a major change in Kakadu’s approach to threatened…